On your end, however, there’s still a lot you need to do to stay on track for your college goals. The school year isn’t over, and any “slacking” or senioritis can hurt your college plans if you’re not careful.

Here’s what high school seniors need to do moving forward in order to have a successful spring semester after submitting college applications.

Set New Personal and Academic Goals

If your main goal this school year was to finish all your college applications on time, it’s time to find something new to strive for this semester. Setting new personal and academic goals will give you something to work toward while you wait for your admission decisions later this spring. It will also help keep you on track with your coursework – something that’s important for this next piece of advice.

Keep Your Grades Up

Yes, you still need to make good grades this semester. Colleges may have your grade reports from the fall, but if you are admitted they will request to see your final transcript. If your straight-As from the fall turned into all Cs in the spring, that’s a red flag for colleges. Maybe you are not actually ready for the rigors of a college curriculum. Colleges have been known to rescind acceptances because dramatic grade dips. In other cases students could be placed on academic probation, or lose scholarships that were based on academic performance.

Plan a Productive Summer

Looking ahead doesn’t have to be limited to the remainder of the school year. You should also consider how you want to spend the summer in between graduation and your first year of college. Do you need to find a job to save money for expenses? What about an internship? Do you want to do a summer program to get a head start on your coursework? Maybe you want to take some summer courses to get some credits out of the way. Or maybe you want to continue your summer reading so you’re engaged and ready to learn when the fall comes. Think about how you want to spend your summer and start making arrangements now.

Study for AP or IB Exams

In addition to maintaining your grades, you should also make a plan to prepare for any AP or IB exams that you’ll be taking in conjunction with your advanced courses. Some colleges will accept high AP or IB scores as credit toward certain courses, so this is a good opportunity to get some extra college credit while you’re still in high school.

Enjoy the Rest of the School Year

It’s your senior year and it will be over before you know it! Make sure to enjoy the time you have left with your teachers, friends, coaches, and more. Take advantage of any programs or events for seniors and make a plan to spend some quality time with you family. After all, you may not see them as often when you’re in college!

After months of hard work, seniors have finally crossed the application finish line, and this can leave some students feeling a little lost. It’s important to remember that the work isn’t over yet! By setting new goals for the spring semester and looking ahead to spring testing and summer plans, seniors can stay motivated and on track for a successful finish to their high school career!

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